Time for politicians to back Waubra townfolk after anti-wind group ignores community petition to reclaim name

Posted by Linda Delory on February 20, 2014

17 December 2013

The anti-wind farm group, the Waubra Foundation, have rejected a community request to stop using the town’s name.

The petition signed by 316 residents and people with strong links to the town was delivered to the Foundation in November. The petition shows the community has made strong attempt to reclaim their name.

"Now Waubra Foundation has decided to ignore the petition, it’s time for politicians to throw their weight behind the local push to reclaim Waubra from anti-wind farm campaigners," said Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth’s renewable energy spokesperson.

“Waubra Foundation office holders live between 122-793km from Waubra. Such vast distances make a mockery of their use of the town's name. If the Foundation won’t respect the wishes of locals, then that leaves politicians to intervene.

"Does Premier Denis Napthine think it's acceptable for an anti-wind farm campaign group to co-opt a town's name for their own ideological purposes?"

All available public polling shows strong support for wind energy. A poll commissioned by Pacific Hydro in 2011 found 84 percent of Victorians support wind farms.

Wind farms are even highly popular among Liberal and National voters, with one poll showing 71 percent support more wind farms.

“The Waubra Foundation is a fringe group, out-of-touch with the views of Victorians. It’s time they stopped misrepresenting themselves as having any links to Waubra.” said Leigh Ewbank.

In a statement published by the Victorian Wind Alliance, Waubra farmer Doug Hobson expressed disappointment at the Foundation’s decision.

“We’ve asked these people politely to leave us alone but clearly the plea has fallen on deaf ears,” said Hobson, CFA captain and Vice President of the Central Highlands Football League.

“It’s pretty arrogant really, pretending to know what’s best for Waubra when they live hundreds of kilometres away and barely know anyone here.

“If they’d come and spoken to more than a handful of people here they’d realise that most of us are very happy with the wind farm.”